Eberron - Rising from the Last War

(Jeff_L) #1

202


Gatekeepers

The Gatekeepers are a druidic sect dedicated to protect­
ing the natural world from unnatural forces. They battle
aberrations and guard against extraplanar invasions
and the release of ancient evils.
The Gatekeepers maintain the oldest druidic tradi­
tion on Khorvaire. Over fifteen thousand years ago, the
green dragon Vvaraak came to the Shadow Marches
and gathered a following from among the ores of the
region. In her studies of the Prophecy, Vvaraak had
foreseen a great threat that could be stopped only by
the younger races. So she taught the ores the secret
language of the natural world and showed them how
to work with stone and soil, and how to read the future
in the movement of the Ring of Siberys. She charged
her students to remain ever vigilant against the threat
that was to come, and to protect nature from those that
would corrupt it.
Thousands of years later, the daelkyr (see chapter 6)
opened gates from the plane of Xoriat and unleashed
hordes of mind flayers, beholders, and other foul crea­
tures into the world. The conflict that followed destroyed
the goblin empire of Dhakaan, and the daelkyr's inva­
sion left scars across Khorvaire. Ultimately, Vvaraak's
students sealed the gates and imprisoned the daelkyr
in Khyber. Even after this triumph, the ores couldn't be
sure if they had turned back the threat Vvaraak had fore­
seen, or if a greater danger lay ahead. So, in addition to
guarding the seals that bind the daelkyr and keep Xoriat
at bay, the Gatekeepers remained vigilant against the
possibility of worse to come.
In the millennia since that struggle ended, the Gate­
keepers have shared Vvaraak's wisdom and druidic
magic with humans, shifters, and others who came
to Khorvaire. New interpretations of Vvaraak's teach­
ings gave birth to new druid sects: the Wardens of the
Wood, the Greensingers, and the Ashbound. Today, the
Gatekeepers are one of the smaller sects, and many of
the sites of their long-ago battles have been abandoned
and forgotten. But some Gatekeepers still remain in the
Shadow Marches and the Eldeen Reaches, continuing
their vigil to this day.

THE GATEKEEPERS IN THE WAR
The Last War had only minimal impact on the Gate­
keepers, and vice versa. The druids' primary concern
was to prevent military activity from disrupting the seals
they guarded. Occasionally the Gatekeepers attacked
groups of scouts or military patrols, driving them away
to ensure that battles didn't erupt in their vicinity. Some­
times the Gatekeepers failed in those efforts, and Xori­
at's corruption spread over some remote regions while
the war raged around them.

GATEKEEPER SEAL
The seals forged by the Gatekeepers have a variety of
purposes and forms. Some are tied to specific daelkyr,
keeping those individuals bound in Khyber and strip­
ping them of some of their powers. Others ward against
aberrations in general, or suppress the influence of the
plane of Xoriat. Some seals are amulets, objects that

CHAPTER 4 I BUILDING EBERRON ADVENTURES

can be carried and stolen. It's said that one of the seals
is a druidic bloodline, and it will last until the last mem­
ber of the line is slain.
The most common form of Gatekeeper seal is a great
stone slab set into the ground or a cavern wall. It is
carved with mystical symbols that hedge out the influ­
ence of Xoriat and maintain the barrier. The map de­
picts one such seal, along with the druidic trappings and
dwellings surrounding it.

GATEKEEPER SEAL FEATURES
Map 4.4 shows what a Gatekeeper seal might look like.
A seal is a protected site, usually attended at all times
by Gatekeepers who live at or near the seal. The one
depicted in the map lies on the edge of a swamp, but it
could be located in any kind of terrain. A circle of stand­
ing stones serves to focus the magic of the area toward
the seal itself, and the stones also serve as a place of
worship for the druids' devotions and ceremonies.

GATEKEEPER SEAL ADVENTURES
The location of a Gatekeeper seal might be the site of
an adventure's climax, or the characters might need to
find one in order to consult with the guardians there.
The Gatekeeper Seal Adventures table presents some
possibilities.

GATEKEEPER SEAL ADVENTURES
d4 Adventure Coal
Deliver a specially treated Khyber dragonshard to the
Gatekeepers to repair a widening crack in the seal.
2 Petition the keepers of a seal for information on an
aberration that has been terrorizing the countryside.
3 Assist the Gatekeepers in an annual ritual that will re­
energize the seal and keep it shut for another year.
4 Escort a new Gatekeeper guardian safely to the seal
after its previous guardians were corrupted.

GATEKEEPER NPCs
Gatekeepers are sworn to protect the world, and thus
are more likely to be encountered as allies than as ene­
mies. It's always possible, though, for even noble Gate­
keepers to fall prey to madness and corruption, thus
becoming the very evils they are sworn to fight.

GATEKEEPER NPCs
d4 NPC
The spirit of a long-dead Gatekeeper lives on in the
body of an ancient toad. It speaks in a deep, croaking
voice.
2 A half-ore Gatekeeper works in House Tharashk
as an investigator, searching for signs of planar
disturbances.

4

A human Gatekeeper is on a pilgrimage, carrying an
amulet that serves as a seal on a journey to a number
of sacred sites to restore its power.
An old ore ranger is murdering people in Sharn,
claiming that they've been corrupted by the daelkyr.
Free download pdf